This Fall I'm going to be writing a review essay about the challenges and potentials of employing complex systems approaches in "four field" anthropology. While much of complex systems science was developed (and is practiced) in fields other than anthropology (ecology, biology, chemistry, economics, physics, etc.), use of the tools, concepts, and approaches of complex systems science to address a variety of anthropological issues and questions is increasing. As I have discussed in the sections on complexity science, social networks, and Eastern Woodlands prehistory in this website (as well in some blog posts that discuss modeling, technological change, and Middle Paleolithic families), I am one of those who believes that complex systems science is potentially very useful to anthropology.
One of my goals in the essay will be to "take the temperature" of complex systems science in anthropology. As an anthropological archaeologist, I'm most familiar with complex systems approaches to archaeology. I would like to cast a much wider net for my review, incorporating and synthesizing as much up-to-date information as possible about how complex systems approaches are being used (or not) in the other sub-fields: linguistic anthropology, socio-cultural anthropology, and physical anthropology. I'm particularly interesting in identifying recent scholarly work that uses the approaches of complexity science to integrate data, models, and theory that cross-cut the traditional territories of the sub-fields.
Know of something I should be aware of? Please leave a comment here or send me an email ([email protected]). Thanks!
One of my goals in the essay will be to "take the temperature" of complex systems science in anthropology. As an anthropological archaeologist, I'm most familiar with complex systems approaches to archaeology. I would like to cast a much wider net for my review, incorporating and synthesizing as much up-to-date information as possible about how complex systems approaches are being used (or not) in the other sub-fields: linguistic anthropology, socio-cultural anthropology, and physical anthropology. I'm particularly interesting in identifying recent scholarly work that uses the approaches of complexity science to integrate data, models, and theory that cross-cut the traditional territories of the sub-fields.
Know of something I should be aware of? Please leave a comment here or send me an email ([email protected]). Thanks!
RSS Feed
